Thread: IN:Tensions flare in House over immigration

9:14 PM February 21, 2008

Tensions flare in House over immigration

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana House went into partisan meltdown Thursday night over legislation aimed at curbing illegal immigration, with Republicans walking off the floor in protest of procedural moves by majority House Democrats.

Republicans accused Democrats of using a sneaky maneuver to prevent them from offering changes to legislation that could penalize employers who hire illegal immigrants. Republicans left the floor around 6:30 p.m., and Democratic House Speaker Patrick Bauer declared around 8 p.m. that the chamber was in recess until Monday.

He said the House would start that day where it left off - debating the immigration legislation - and no further amendments besides one they had offered would be considered. He said if Republicans continued to boycott the floor, the impasse would threaten passage of other legislation, including proposed constitutional caps on property tax bills.

Next week is the deadline for House bills to clear the Senate and vice versa.

House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said he considered Monday to be a new legislative day and that meant his caucus could file amendments seeking changes to the House version of the immigration legislation.

Some Republicans said the House Democrat version of the immigration bill was too weak on tackling illegal immigration. Some wanted to offer changes that among other things would prohibit the state or local governments from providing public assistance to illegal immigrants.

That would include help in obtaining employment, housing, higher education or other types of financial assistance. There would be some exceptions, such as help getting emergency medical care or providing short-term disaster relief.

But Republicans said Democrats used a sneaky maneuver that skirted House rules to thwart their chances of amending the bill.

Rep. Trent Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon, suggested that Republicans wanted to make changes for partisan political reasons, and Democrats wanted to keep the issue based on sound public policy.

To prevent votes on any changes, Democrats took language that had been approved in a bill before one of their committees and filed it as an amendment to another bill. They did that four minutes before a deadline to file amendments on bills up for consideration Thursday.

Republicans said the new home Democrats were trying to use for their version of illegal immigration reform had nothing to do with the issue, so they never would have considered filing their own amendments on that bill Thursday.

When Democrats called down the bill they wanted to amend with their illegal immigration language, Republicans accused Democrats of blatantly breaking House rules. Bosma asked that any votes on illegal immigration legislation wait until Monday.

He said that would open a new time frame for offering amendments, but Bauer disagrees.

http://tinyurl.com/278c8m

Oh man, sounds like the tricks played in DC.

See what happens Monday.

I just read the comment section and added to it.Most Hoosiers are furious with the Dems.

The passion and devotion shown by the Republicans in this struggle shows our side is gaining the momentum that can result in final victory.